In the space of four years Guardiola quickly became the most successful coach in the Catalan club's history, but made the shock decision to step down as boss at the end of last season, and Alves feels that was because of him and his team-mates.

"Pep said that he would only leave when we were no longer responding to him," Alves said in an interview with Le Buteur.

"We did not respond to him on the field as he would have liked and this is why the players feel responsible for his departure."

The Brazil international also spoke of his highly-rated compatriot Neymar and spoke of the differences between him and Blaugrana team-mate Lionel Messi.

"The difference between Messi and Neymar is that Messi plays in Europe, while Neymar is still in Brazil," he continued.

"Even without tactical discpline, what is important for a team is having players with maturity and a sense of responsibility.

"To further his career, Neymar must come to Europe and preferably to Barcelona."